PETALING JAYA: Travel advisories by foreign countries on Malaysia should be “fair and balanced”, says the Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA).

MATTA inbound vice president Datuk Tan Kok Liang expressed “regret” on the move by the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office to raise the terrorism threat level for the islands off Sabah from “general” to “high” on its foreign travel advice.

“The travel advisory was based on a high-profile kidnapping in May last year. But crime and terrorism can happen anywhere and anytime.

“It is a global issue and not exclusive to Sabah,” Tan said in a statement yesterday.

He said the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office should have verified the information it had with the Malaysian Home Affairs or Foreign Affairs Ministries.

“We should gather from those on the ground including the Eastern Sabah Security Command (Esscom) Commander Datuk Wan Abdul Bari Wan Abdul Khalid, who confirmed that they had not been any untoward incidents and tourists were still visiting popular tourist spots.

“He (Wan Abdul Bari) said there are no imminent threats that can jeopardise the state’s security and safety of the people,” he said.

Tan said Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun has also said that the east coast of Sabah is safe as there are security measures in place.

He said that travel advisories should reflect the actual situation on the ground, as the island resorts on the east coast of Sabah are still a popular choice with tourists.

“I am prepared to host the stay for those issuing travel advisories so that they can report on the actual security situation instead of frightening tourists away,” he added.

The travel advisory was updated on Feb 18 this year.